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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23730868">for better, for worse, in sickness and in health</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingargents/pseuds/darlingargents'>darlingargents</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canada, Alternate Universe - Met in the 27 Years, Anal Sex, Awkward Sexual Situations, Bathroom Sex, Drunkenness, Gambling, Hopeful Ending, Las Vegas Wedding, M/M, Married in Canadian Vegas, Niagara Falls, Pennywise Still Happened That Part Is Not AU'd Away, Semi-Public Sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:40:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,828</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23730868</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingargents/pseuds/darlingargents</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Richie meets a stranger, has a few drinks, and decides to get married.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>289</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>What Fen Do (Instead of Going Outside)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>for better, for worse, in sickness and in health</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/liesmyth/gifts">liesmyth</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, some info on this AU to keep in mind as you read:</p><p>-I've invented a new town in New Brunswick. It's Derry. If Stephen King can do it, so can I. (New Brunswick is directly north of Maine.)<br/>-The events of Chapter 1 happened in the same way, except they're all Canadian. Bill has a Newfie accent, probably.<br/>-This is set in late July/early August 2003, a little less than two months after the province of Ontario legalized same-gender marriage. Which would make them about 27, give or take.<br/>-Eddie is Quebecois because I find it amusing. Pretend there is a lot more Quebecois swearing in this.<br/>-I have never been to a casino as a legal adult, so please do not hold the depiction against me. I have also only been to Niagara Falls once and don't really remember it, so also don't hold that against me.<br/>-Drive-thru marriages are actually a thing in Niagara, but probably require much more advance planning and might not have existed at this time. Pretend it's Turtle magic guiding the way if you'd like.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Richie is four drinks in and $800 deep in a poker game when the pissed-off short Quebecois man bumps into him. Through the haze of liquor, Richie’s first thought is <em> he’s hot </em> . It’s probably the fact that he’s very clearly swearing up a storm at another man in the middle of the casino floor; there’s something about arguing that Richie has always found attractive. They’re shouting in French and Richie can’t understand much beyond the occasional <em> tabarnak </em> and <em> calisse </em>. He swings one arm wide, some of his beer splashing onto Richie, and before Richie can move out of the way, the other man punches him in the face, sending him stumbling into Richie’s lap.</p><p>Richie drops his cards and the drunk fighter somewhere within him wakes up. The man on his lap blinks up at him, blood running down his face, and Richie stands up, sets him on the chair, and looks at the other man.</p><p>“Hey, what the fuck, dude?” he says, and the man glares at him and shouts something in French, too fast for him to make out a single word. The man in Richie’s chair shouts something else and tries to stand up, and ends up swaying dangerously and falling against Richie. Richie’s not sure if he’s concussed or just really, really drunk.</p><p>“You motherfucker—” he shouts, and tries to lunge back. Richie grabs his arm and holds him back, and it’s harder than he expected. He’s surprisingly wriggly for someone who can barely stay upright.</p><p>Richie’s not entirely sure how long he can hold off this fight, but luckily he sees a security guard heading purposefully in their direction. The guard grabs the other man, and the man throws a punch at the security guard. Richie winces. The man he’s holding back stops moving, the anger seeming to drain out of him as the fight escalates.</p><p>“Holy shit,” he says as the man who just hit him is wrestled to the ground by security.</p><p>“Yeah,” Richie says.</p><p>He realizes he’s still holding this guy in his arms, and steps away, half expecting the guy to hit him. He just turns to Richie with his bleeding face and says, in lightly accented English (and that’s Richie’s secret shame, that he finds Quebecois accents hot) — “Can I buy you a drink?”</p><p>“Sure,” Richie says. He’s not exactly going to say no.</p><p>♠︎♣︎♥︎♦︎</p><p>The Quebecois man’s name is Eddie. He’s in Niagara Falls for a business trip, and he’s spending his Saturday in the casino to, in his own words, “Let the fuck loose for once.” He has money to burn and something to prove, and apparently he didn’t even know the guy he was fighting with. He’s also lived in five provinces, lives and works in Montreal, and just got an inheritance from his wealthy grandparents, which is why he decided to go gambling.</p><p>Richie knows all of this because apparently Eddie <em> never shuts up </em>. Ever. Richie is a big talker himself, but he usually gets quieter when he drinks. Eddie seems to do the opposite; with every beer or cocktail, he gets louder and loses more of his filter.</p><p>Somehow, though, he manages to join in on Richie’s poker game after they’ve had a few drinks at the bar. Richie is starting to get to the point of drunkness where he might make some very bad decisions, which is probably why he went along with Eddie’s suggestion to keep playing. His poker face is entirely gone, while Eddie is glaring down at his own chips with comedic seriousness.</p><p>The dealer glances between them, seems to decide that this table is low-stakes enough to allow them to play, and deals them in. Richie takes his cards and winces. Not good. He glances at Eddie. His expression hasn’t changed.</p><p>To Richie’s drunken mind, it’s the most incredible thing he’s ever seen.</p><p>Richie folds almost immediately, and watches Eddie play. There aren’t many people around the table, and it ends up between him and another man across the table. They up their bids, over and over, and Richie waits with bated breath as Eddie ups for the third time that round.</p><p>“Fuck it, I’m out,” the man says, and tosses his cards down. Eddie grins, and puts down his cards. A three and a seven.</p><p>Richie lets out a whoop of laughter. “Holy fuck, man, you beat him with nothing!”</p><p>“Help me collect my money,” he says, and stands up to slide the pile of chips towards him. “I’m cashing out.”</p><p>There’s a series of groans around the table, and Richie stands up as well. “Me too.” He grabs his own pile of chips, untouched, and follows Eddie to the cashing-in machine.</p><p>“It’s only six,” Richie says as Eddie inserts the chips and watches the money spill out. “Wanna take this party back to the bar? Or somewhere else?”</p><p>“You know, Richie,” Eddie says, glancing up at him, “that sounds like a good time.”</p><p>♤♧♡♢</p><p>It turns out that Eddie made a killing in his single round of poker. They head over to a bar and Eddie buys a round for their previous table, just to flaunt his temporary wealth. He orders a beer and Richie, just to be contrarian, orders a tequila sunrise. Eddie snickers a little at it, and Richie good-naturedly flips him off. It just makes Eddie laugh harder. Richie thinks he really likes this guy.</p><p>“Honestly,” Eddie says as he takes his first sip, “fuck working in finance. You’re so lucky you don’t. Wait — what do you do?”</p><p>Richie looks up from playing with the little plastic umbrella sticking out of his drink. “I wait tables,” he says, and Eddie winces, and then seems to regret wincing.</p><p>“Oh. Why are you here? Don’t you live in… didn’t you say Toronto?” Eddie squints at him in confusion.</p><p>“My sister’s wedding,” he says, and it’s true enough. She got married last week. He’s here because… well, he’s not really sure. Because he wanted to, and he felt like he should.</p><p>(That’s probably a ridiculously dumb excuse to gamble and drink his weekend away. But it’s still how he feels.)</p><p>“Weddings.” Eddie laughs and takes another drink of his beer. Richie wonders how many he’s had. He’s still coherent, but he’s clearly lost most of his inhibitions.</p><p>Richie stares at his lips and the shine of wetness from his beer. And keeps staring.</p><p>He’s lost some of his own inhibitions, he thinks.</p><p>“Weddings,” Eddie repeats. He’s clearly lost his own train of thought. “My mom still wants me to get married. Fuck her, I don’t need a wife, I’m gay.” Eddie pauses, and sways a little in his chair. “Fuck, I didn’t mean to say that. Well, if you wanna call me a queer like that other guy did, go ahead. I’ve got another fight in me.”</p><p>Richie’s heart sinks in his chest. Eddie looks curled in on himself, like he’s about to run, and even in the short time they’ve known each other, Richie knows that it’s just <em> wrong </em>. Eddie doesn’t deserve that. Which is why he opens his stupid mouth without thinking.</p><p>“I’m gay too.”</p><p>It’s the first time, he thinks, that he’s said it out loud. He’s blown random guys in gas stations and Tim Hortons bathrooms, gone to clubs in Montreal and Vancouver after shows and hooked up in alleyways. But those didn’t require saying the words. He’s known — he’s always known — but this is something different.</p><p>“Oh,” Eddie says. “Are you okay?”</p><p>Richie blinks at him, and realizes he’s crying. He didn’t even notice the tears running down his face. “Fine,” he says, and wipes the tears away. Spots of dampness float into his vision, and he pulls off his glasses to clean them on his shirt quickly and puts them back on. He takes a long drink of his tequila sunrise, the tequila burning his throat.</p><p>“It’s okay, man,” Eddie says, and awkwardly pats his knee. The bartender is looking at them like they’ve lost their minds, and Eddie calls out to ask for more drinks before turning back to Richie. “Really. I mean, it’s legal here, right? The weddings?”</p><p>Richie rubs his eyes hard beneath his glasses. No more tears. “Yeah, I heard.” He’d cried then too. He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling, but he’d taken the day off work and stayed in bed, scribbling ideas for something not-quite-comedy in his notebook.</p><p>“At least I can get married now, if my mom really wants me to,” Eddie says, as the bartender brings them their drinks. Richie downs the rest of his drink, steals the plastic umbrella and grabs his new drink. The bartender rolls his eyes as he sticks the umbrella behind his ear and takes a sip.</p><p>“Yeah,” he says. “My parents don’t give much of a shit. I think they gave up on me when they realized I was serious about this comedy thing.”</p><p>“I thought you were a waiter.”</p><p>Richie laughs awkwardly and lifts his drink, trying to hide his face. It probably doesn’t work. “I do comedy shows, too. I’m trying to make it work, but fuck, who even knows at this point. Probably should pack up and go home to New Brunswick.”</p><p>Something flashes in Eddie’s eyes as he says that, and he blinks at him over the rim of his glass. A feeling rises in his gut like anxiety but deeper, and he puts down his glass, suddenly afraid to drink it.</p><p>“I lived there for a bit when I was a kid,” Eddie says after a strange, tense moment. “Learned English there.”</p><p>“Born and raised,” Richie says, trying to push past the strange moment. “Me and my sister left as soon as we could. She’s in London.”</p><p>“Not much better,” Eddie says, and Richie laughs.<br/>“Cheaper than Toronto, at least.”</p><p>Eddie shrugs, and takes another sip of his beer. “So you’re a comedian, then. You any good?”</p><p>“Fuck, I hope so.”</p><p>The corner of Eddie’s mouth curls up. Richie likes the sight of it, almost as much as he likes Eddie’s laugh. “I’ll have to come to one of your shows.”</p><p>“I’d love to see you there.” Richie says, and picks up his glass again. The weird feeling is gone, and they’re sliding into more of a comfortable feeling. He feels like he could talk about anything with this guy. “I’d make fun of you onstage. Your stupid hair.”</p><p>“Fuck off. What’s wrong with it?”</p><p>Richie reaches out and ruffles it a little. “Too gelled. You look like a businessman.”</p><p>“I am a fucking businessman—” Eddie ruffles Richie’s hair back, either out of revenge or just because he feels like it. Either way, Richie likes it.</p><p>“You’re out gambling, asshole,” Richie says, and laughs a bit too loud. Eddie is laughing too, and his hand is on Richie’s knee. It feels nice. Richie drains his drink and Eddie finishes his beer over a few sips and a few more insults.</p><p>“Wanna take a walk?”</p><p>It’s more of a stumble than a walk. They lean on each other, Eddie crashes into a slot machine and calls it a creative French swear that Richie half-understands, and they end up outside almost by accident. It’s around seven at night, and the sun hasn’t even gone down yet. Richie keeps his arm around Eddie, and Eddie doesn’t move it. Richie’s eyes are drawn to an advert on the side of a bus stop.</p><p>“Canadian Vegas,” Richie mumbles, and laughs. “Look at this, Eds. They even have drive-thru weddings.”</p><p>Eddie looks at the sign, at the smiling couple at the drive-thru booth, and laughs as well. “A Vegas wedding. I don’t think my mom would ever forgive me.”</p><p>“We could,” Richie points out, and his heart flutters dangerously in his chest. “You know. We could, now.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Eddie says, staring at the sign. “Yeah, actually, we totally could.”</p><p>It’s a stupid idea. Richie can’t believe Eddie is playing along with it. He doesn’t want to ruin it, or make it worse, or—</p><p>“Do you want to?” Eddie asks, and Richie nods.</p><p>♠︎♣︎♥︎♦︎</p><p>It’s a bit of a blur, really. Eddie calls and gets them a spot at 8pm sharp. They call a cab and head to City Hall for a marriage licence. The person working does a double take when she sees them and forces a smile as they provide IDs. “I wonder if we’re the first she’s seen,” Eddie says as they head back to the still-running cab. Richie laughs. He’s still drunk. This still feels like the best idea ever.</p><p>“Probably.”</p><p>The cab takes them on the ten-minute trip to the wedding booth. Everything is set up. They get out of the cab and stand in front of the officiant and the witnesses. Eddie had paid extra to have them provided.</p><p>(Eddie had paid for all of this. Richie doesn’t know how much it cost, and he’s not about to ask. He doesn’t want to make Eddie regret it already.)</p><p>Their vows are short and to the point — in sickness and in health, till death do us part. “You may kiss the groom,” the officiant says, and Richie freezes up. He realizes, in that moment, something he hasn’t thought about for a long time — he’s never been kissed by a boy. He’d kissed the girl he went to prom with, he thinks, but he’s never kissed anyone he actually <em> likes </em>.</p><p>Eddie seems to have no such reservations. He grabs Richie’s lapels and pulls him down into a kiss.</p><p>Wow. Maybe Richie is just really drunk, but Eddie is an amazing kisser.</p><p>They break apart, Richie wonders where the fuck he’s been without kisses his whole life, and they sign the wedding certificate and get back in the running cab.</p><p>“Where to now?” Eddie asks, and Richie shrugs.</p><p>“I could go for a burger.” Eddie scoffs, and Richie calls to the driver, “The nearest McDonalds, please.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“If you’re so picky, just get some fries.”</p><p>“Asshole,” Eddie says, rolling his eyes, and he leans up to peck Richie on the cheek. He feels his face flame red, which is probably not the normal reaction to being kissed by one’s husband.</p><p>Husband. He has a husband. He <em> is </em> someone’s husband.</p><p>He kind of likes the sound of that.</p><p>♤♧♡♢</p><p>Despite Eddie’s initial reluctance, he orders food along with Richie at the counter, and pays for it. It’s getting late, the sky red-striped with summer sunset and shining in the windows. Eddie’s foot rests on Richie’s when they sit down with their burgers and fries and Richie’s milkshake. It feels nice. He thinks he’s sobering up, as well; his head is pounding a bit and he’s definitely not ready to drive, but he feels a little clearer. It’s becoming clear how very ridiculous it was to get married to this man that he just met, and he still doesn’t regret it in the slightest. If he was going to marry anyone at all, ever, it feels only natural that it would be Eddie.</p><p>“So,” Eddie says as he finishes the last of his burger and pops a fry into his mouth, “now that we’re married, how do you feel about consummation?” </p><p>The handful of fries that Richie had dipped into the milkshake and then shoved in his mouth seems to slide down his throat and choke him. He coughs into his napkin and tries to swallow it down before he starts choking and Eddie needs to perform the Heimlich on him.</p><p>“Um,” he says, once he’s successfully avoided choking to death. Eddie’s still giving him a worried look, so he takes a sip of his drink, as if to say <em> look, I can successfully consume things. </em> “I feel good.”</p><p>“Good.” Eddie says, and eats another fry. He licks his fingers, looks up and down Richie’s body, and says, “How about here?”</p><p>“<em> Here </em>? That seems illegal.” Which might not be a problem. With the look in Eddie’s eyes, Richie would probably let him take him anywhere, even over this very table.</p><p>“They probably have a bathroom.”</p><p>Richie glances around and yes, they seem to. “Uh, yeah. I mean, are you sure?”</p><p>“I think we both deserve a little adventure. You done?”</p><p>Richie drinks the rest of his milkshake and gathers his garbage back onto the red plastic tray. If he hadn’t been done, he would’ve thrown it out; he’s already getting hard. “Yep.”</p><p>“Follow me in thirty seconds.” Eddie gets up, throws out his own garbage as he passes the can, and disappears into the men’s room. Richie waits for thirty seconds, staring at his watch and trying to hold back the hard-on that will absolutely be visible as soon as he stands, and when it’s time, he gets up and follows Eddie.</p><p>♠︎♣︎♥︎♦︎</p><p>It turns out that Eddie has lube, because of course he does. “Boy scout,” Richie had said with a laugh when he’d pulled it out, and Eddie’s eyes had flashed. He’d reached down and slid one hand over the front of Richie’s jeans, and smiled at the groan he’d pulled out of Richie’s throat.</p><p>“Yep,” he’d said, and cracked it open. “Bend over.”</p><p>And Richie had leaned over the sink, his heart hammering in his chest, as Eddie undid his jeans and pulled them down and slid one slick finger into his hole. He’d tried to keep quiet, biting down on his hand while Eddie’s fingers slid in and out of him, but hadn’t quite managed. Eddie had reached around to place a hand over his mouth as he worked and that had done something for Richie, making his cock twitch and even more groans spill around Eddie’s hand.</p><p>And now Eddie is lining up behind him, one hand on his back and the other on his hip, and Richie is staring into the grimy sink feeling happier than he ever has in his life, and Eddie says, “You good?”</p><p>“Please get in me right now,” Richie chokes out.</p><p>Eddie slides in and Richie experiences true bliss for the first time. His eyes drift shut and his forehead hits the bottom of the sink, and he groans as Eddie slides out and starts to thrust in and out. Eddie’s hand finds his mouth again and he moans around it. The sounds of their heavy breathing and gasping fill the room, along with the sounds of their bodies; it’s gross and Richie is sure someone can hear, that someone will pound on the door and tell them to take it back to their hotel room, but he doesn’t care. He’s entered a new state of consciousness. He’ll never be the same.</p><p>It keeps going and going and getting better and better. After a few minutes, as Eddie’s thrusts speed up, his hand moves away from Richie’s mouth and grabs onto his dick and starts to jerk him off in time with his thrusts. It only takes a few strokes before Richie gasps and comes hard, practically seeing stars (something he always thought was entirely metaphorical) as he hears his come spattering the bathroom floor. Eddie grabs the back of his head, buries himself deep inside Richie, and comes with a low groan; he shoves Richie’s head forward and it ends up under the tap.</p><p>The automatic sensor comes on, and water floods down onto Richie’s face and hair and glasses.</p><p>“Shit,” Eddie says, and pulls out, letting Richie stand up. Water runs down the back of his shirt and he pulls off his waterlogged glasses, and laughs. “Fuck, I’m so sorry—”</p><p>“Waterboarding your husband during sex? Really, man? What a way to treat a guy—”</p><p>“Shut up.” Eddie is red and grinning and even without his glasses, Richie can see that his dick is still out. There’s also the feeling of come sliding down his leg, which should be incredibly gross but somehow is not. A part of him wants to lick it clean, like he’s a cat or something. That would probably be weird.</p><p>Eddie grabs some paper towels and pulls him down by his shoulder, and Richie lets him dry his hair off. It still looks like shit, he’s sure, but it feels nice anyway to have Eddie taking care of him. He cleans his own glasses on his shirt and puts them back on, and grabs some toilet paper to mop up his own spill on the floor.</p><p>When they’ve cleaned up the bathroom and themselves, Eddie pulls Richie down to his level again and kisses him, long and hard and sweet, and Richie thinks his heart is about to burst.</p><p>♤♧♡♢</p><p>They end up in Eddie’s hotel room. Richie’s is within walking distance, so he gathers his things, checks out early, and meets Eddie back at his. Eddie greets him at the door with a bottle of champagne.</p><p>“Hey, big spender,” Richie says, and Eddie kisses him again as he closes the door. It’s fully dark now, and Richie can see the lights of Niagara Falls and the Falls themselves in the distance out Eddie’s window. It’s a very nice room, which explains why they’re here instead of Richie’s.</p><p>Eddie pours them both a glass of bubbly, and Richie accepts. He’s never liked it much, but it tastes better, somehow, lounging in bed with your husband.</p><p>He never wants to stop saying that word. <em> Husband. His husband. </em></p><p>Eddie reaches down to entwine their fingers. His heart might burst with affection, he thinks. “I still have a bit of money left,” he says conversationally. “I can buy us rings tomorrow.”</p><p>“I forgot about rings,” Richie says. “Do gays get rings?”</p><p>Eddie shrugs. “It’s only been legal here for two months. I don’t think it’s set in stone.”</p><p>“We can be trendsetters.” Richie lifts their entwined hands and kisses Eddie’s hand. Eddie looks at him, and smiles, and Richie thinks he might die of happiness. The best possible way to go.</p><p>“You’ve got it.”</p><p>Eddie’s room, as it turns out, has a massive jacuzzi tub. His work is paying for it, or something — it’s some fancy work trip for their up-and-coming heroes of finance, or whatever. They take their second glasses of champagne into the jacuzzi, and Eddie slides his foot along Richie’s leg and up to his dick, and the half-empty glasses get put aside as they make out like teenagers. Eddie jerks them both off with one hand, his teeth sinking into Richie’s shoulder and neck and abs and leaving marks all over him like some kind of vampire. When Richie looks in the mirror after, the hickeys make him grin like an idiot. The teenage experience he never got to have.</p><p>They finish the bottle. They stagger to bed. Richie traces a line down Eddie’s face and kisses him again and again.</p><p>Eddie says, <em> I have a really nice apartment in Montreal. </em></p><p>Richie says, <em> I don’t have shit in Toronto. </em></p><p>Eddie says, <em> Come home with me. </em></p><p>Richie says yes.</p><p>♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎</p>
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